Real Madrid welcome Almeria to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday as they continue their push to reclaim the La Liga title. Almeria are rooted to the foot of the table and should be no match for the superior quality of Madrid, who are expected to claim a comfortable victory.
Real Madrid have claimed the first piece of silverware in Spain after easing past Barcelona 4-1 in the Spanish Super Cup final thanks to Vinicius Junior’s hat-trick however, they will not be doing a sweep of domestic titles following a 4-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Copa Del Rey.
That defeat to Atletico Madrid was the first across all competitions for Real Madrid since losing 3-1 to their bitter rivals back in September. Carlo Ancelotti’s men have picked up 18 wins from 22 matches in that run and are just one point off the pace in the La standings, with a game in hand.
The Estadio Santiago Bernabeu has been a fortress for Real Madrid all season as they are yet to taste defeat in front of their fans. There have been a few one-sided results in their recent home matches like the 5-1 win over Valencia and the 4-1 victory over Villarreal.
It has been a disappointing campaign for Almeria this season as they are yet to pick up a single La Liga win so far. They are rooted to the foot of the table and are slowly being cut adrift, sitting 10 points from safety.
Almeria will take some confidence from their previous La Liga fixture as they held high-flying Girona to a 0-0 draw. They put up a solid defensive display, limiting the visitors to just a single attempt on target throughout the contest.
While manager Gaizka Garitano will be pleased with the team's defending, the result means Almeria have now failed to score in three of their last four matches. They also have an abysmal record on their travels, losing their last nine La Liga away matches.
How the bookies view it
Real Madrid are considered overwhelming among the bookies with a home win priced at 2/13 by Coral. An unlikely victory for Almeria is valued at 18/1 by BetVictor while a draw is set at odds of 9/1 by bet365.
Head to head
Real Madrid have only lost once to Almeria, claiming 12 wins and two draws from 15 previous matches. Los Blancos claimed a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture, with Jude Bellingham netting a brace while Vinicius Junior was also on target.
Players to watch
Jude Bellingham is the leading scorer for Real Madrid with 13 goals and having netted a brace in the reverse fixture, is priced at 27/25 by Unibet to get on the score sheet. Vinicius Junior grabbed a hat-trick in the Spanish Super Cup final and could also be worth keeping an eye on at 5/6 with BetVictor.
With Almeria struggling for goals in recent weeks, Real Madrid will be targeting a clean sheet on Sunday. Antonio Rudiger should continue at the heart of the defence and can lead Los Blancos to a clean sheet at 19/20 with Coral.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given Almeria’s recent goalscoring problems, Real Madrid could be tipped to earn a win to nil at 11/10 with Paddy Power. Los Blancos have claimed a few one-sided home wins lately and could be backed in the -2 handicap market at 6/5 with Paddy Power.
With Real Madrid expected to be dominant on Sunday, they could also be tipped to win both halves at 11/10 with William Hill.
This La Liga match between Real Madrid and Almeria will be played on Jan 21, 2024 and kick off at 15:15. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Almeria prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
